Vexing the Viscount Read Online Free PDF Page A

disappointed woman slipped off his lap and walked toward another more willing victim.
    â€œAnything?” Jack asked.
    â€œNo one has seen him,” Braden said, then checked his cards and frowned. The scowl on his face had nothing to do with his cards. If his brother hadn’t been at the most popular party of the night, nor at one of the most popular gaming hells, where the bloody hell could he be?
    Unable to concentrate on his cards, he folded and scraped back his chair. “I’m going home,” he said to Jack.
    â€œNow?” Jack replied, staring at his cards. With a groan, he tossed his cards down, picked up his winnings, and followed Braden out the door.
    â€œYou didn’t need to leave.”
    â€œSafety in numbers, my friend. I wasn’t about to leave alone with this much coin in my pocket. You never know what might happen.”
    â€œTrue,” Braden replied. Handler’s wasn’t in the best location.
    They walked the quiet streets in silence but the hairs on the back of his neck stood straight. Braden had the oddest feeling that someone was watching them. The sound of pistol fire filled the air. Both Jack and Braden fell to the street. A burning sensation spread from Braden’s upper arm. “Dammit.”
    They both slowly rose and glanced around but noticed no one.
    â€œYou’re bleeding,” Jack said, staring at Braden’s arm.
    â€œAll over my favorite jacket.” He gritted his teeth against the pain. “Come on, my carriage is just up the street.”
    They rushed to the safety of his carriage and collapsed onto the velvet squabs. Braden pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and held it to his wound. It really was no more than a scrape, but it hurt like hell.
    â€œWas the shooter after you or me?” Jack asked with a worried look.
    â€œYou won the money.” But even as Braden said those words, he wondered if he spoke the truth. He was the viscount now. Both his uncle and cousin had died in questionable situations. His uncle was killed in a carriage accident in Scotland and his cousin Randolph drowned at a hunting lodge in Suffolk. It couldn’t be proven that either death was not accidental, but for Randolph to die only two weeks after inheriting had put the suspicion on Braden.
    And no one had approached Jack after the shooting in an attempt to steal his money. Dammit!
    â€œBloody hell,” Jack muttered. “One of us might have been killed. Should I take you to the surgeon?”
    â€œNo, take me home.”
    â€œYou need to have that looked at.”
    â€œI will.” Miss Featherstone was about to earn her keep.
    Â 
    After her bath, Tia finally drew the last piece of glass from her foot. She bound the wound and lay back against the soft pillows. Her hands still shook from her interaction with Middleton. She’d only seen him a few times at the estate this summer. Their conversations had been brief and concerned the well-being of one of his servants who’d had an attack of gout.
    Those short talks had never left her feeling as shocked as tonight when he walked into the bedroom while she bathed. She couldn’t help but notice the way he slid a glance at her naked body. His blue eyes had darkened to the color of sapphires. But it was her reaction that frightened her. With her hands covering her breasts, she felt her nipples grow taut under his heated gaze.
    What was wrong with her?
    She didn’t want Middleton. She didn’t even like the man. He was cold, dark, and the type of man who used women purely for his own benefit. Nothing like his brother. Oh, where could Jonathon be? And how was she supposed to find him if Middleton insisted on leaving tomorrow? She couldn’t run off from the house in his dressing gown.
    Somehow, she had to figure out a way of leaving before they departed for Middleton Hall.
    A knock disturbed her musing. “Yes?”
    â€œI have a tray for you, miss.”
    Tia